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 Jah
Wobble’s music has never been as ‘off-the-wall’ as the
music press would have you believe, he’s always had a finely tuned
pop sensibility; and this new album for the legendary Trojan Records
proves the point perfectly.
Musically comparable to last years ‘Alpha-One-Three’, 'Heart
and Soul' features smooth reggae topped with fuzzy warbles. Crafted
pop that sounds nothing like pop music. At least not any pop music we
are over-exposed to these days.
Of course, with Wobble it’s not that straight forward, beneath
the smooth exterior is a dark centre. Many of the lyrics on ‘Heart
and Soul’ are hugely personal. No doubt partly inspired from work
on his forthcoming autobiography. They include harsh, brutally honest
accounts of his slide into alcoholism and his attempts to duck and dive.
“Although I walk
in the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil…”
The deceptive ‘I Remember That Time’ with its mentions of
a “punky, reggae party” is not a nostalgic yearning for the
punk days; as if! Instead it’s a look back at the crippling Thatcher
years. Full of thinly veiled drug references which place Wobble's mind-set
at the time.
'As Dawn Breaks Over London’
is a tired, desperate, longing to escape the grip of drink and drugs;
and sounds more than just another empty promise… ‘Whatever
Happens’ takes the story into the first steps of sobriety; and
gives a nod and a wink to a familar Wobble bassline that helped mark
an upturn in fortune…
It's not all doom and gloom, far from it, you only have to look at the
artwork to see that! 'Heart and Soul' is an uplifting album. Wobble
has always had a skill of mixing light with dark. The upbeat, appropriately
titled ‘The Sweetest Feeling’ – a duet with Clea
Rose from the English Roots Band – has a smooth soulful, almost
Portishead feel. Which is probably why Trojan picked it as a download-only
iTunes single. Though, the album's opener ‘Desolation’ could
easily have been another contender. The thundering rhythm and prophetic
“Desolation seems to be the state of the nation…”
vocal hook is classic Wobble.
Apart from some additional guitar from Chris Cookson this really is
the Jah Wobble solo show; including production, mixing and engineering.
His trademark musical sounds are all here. The looping basslines are
complimented with sub-electronic beats and synths; laced with steel
and electric guitar, Eastern mantras and melodica. All wrapped in a
warm dubby production. The brittle ‘Eternal Wander’ with its
mandolin strings and unsettling thin vocal is the black sheep of the
family; but certainly a highlight.
The album also features some great dub versions of the vocal tracks
including ‘I Remember That Time’, ‘I’d Love To Take
You’ & ‘Desolation’ (Heart and Soul). While, ‘Lord
Keep Me Version Number Three’ is a reprise of ‘On The Right
Road’ from ‘Alpha-One-Three’. Other notable instrumentals
include 'Plainsong Dub' and the mammoth 'Through the Mist and Up the
Mountain Dub'.
This is Wobble’s second album for Trojan and like its predecessor
‘Mu’ it’s
a grower. However, it’s tighter and more focused; and has far more
in common with ‘Alpha-One-Three’.
Fitting neatly into this recent Wobble triptych.
Lastly, in a recent interview with The Times Wobble made a point
of scorching (sorry) the notorious Karl Burns story, apparently it was
little more than an LSD fuelled live re-enactment of Space Invaders
(well that explains that then!). Sounds like it might have been another
drug laden “punky, reggae party”, but maybe we'll have to
wait for the book for the whole story…
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